Float tide-mill.



U. S. JACKSON.

FLOAT TIDB MILL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY so, 1909.

Patented June 14,1910.

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FLOAT TIDE MILL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1909.

Patented June 14,1910.

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U. s. JACKSON. FLOAT TIDII MILL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1909.

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FLOAT 'EIDE-MILL.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 14, 191() Application filed July 30, 1909.

Serial No. 510,457.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, URIAH S. J AcKsoN, a citizen of the United States, a resident of Ossipee, in the county of Carroll and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Float Tide- Mill, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to a float tide mill and consists in the peculiar arrangement and construction of the cooperating parts, the object being to make an apparatus that will convert the energy due to the ebb and flow of the tide into continuous motion for operating machinery.

The exact working and construction of the device may be best understood by reference to the full specification.

The drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification are as follows 1- Figure l is a plan of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l. Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail of sprocket wheels and ratchet devices on the upper shafts. Fig. 5 is a detail of sprocket wheels on the lower shafts. Fig. 6 is a detail showing in plan a corner of the float also showing one set of sprocket wheels and chain belts.

In the drawings A, A1, B, B1, indicate a frame or casing constructed for the purpose of supporting the mechanism that is used for transmitting the motion of the float, E, to the shaft P and gear wheel P1 from which, as mechanical energy, it may be transmitted, for any useful purpose. The rising and falling tide water has free access to the ioat E, through the openings D, D.

The two shafts S, S, are located at or near the lower part of the casing and below the low-water mark. The float E is attached to each set of chain belts which are arranged, as shown, that is, there is one set, of two, at each corner of the float E. In case the float is large more sets of chain belts may be required. The sprocket wheels S1 S2 are attached loosely on their shafts so that as the float E moves up or down the chains and sprocket wheels will necessarily move with it, but the shafts, S S, may remain stationary.

The arrangement by which I cause the main shaft P to always move in the same direction whether the float E moves up or down may be explained as follows: Referring to the drawing, especially Figs. 3 and 5, the sprocket wheels S1 and S2 run loosely on the shaft S and are made to rotate by the action of their respective chains L L1 and J J1 (see Fig. 6). For convenience in description I will term the two parts L L1 as members; z'. e. members L and L1 form one chain and the two parts J and J1 are members of the other chain, that is, the chain L L1 operates the sprocket wheel S1 and the chain J J1 operates the sprocket wheel S2. Bearing in mind that the member L of the chain L L1 is attached to the float by bolt L2 it follows that as the float goes up the wheel S1 (Fig. 5) will rotate with the same, and that as the member J1 of the chain J J1 is attached to the float by the bolt J2 it follows that as the float goes down the wheel S2 will also rotate with the same. Thus we see that whether the float goes up or down one of the two wheels in each of the sets will rotate in the same direction, and this is true of all the sets of sprocket wheels that are connected to the float.

It is obvious that if one or all of the sets of wheels on the lower shafts S and S turn in the same direction whether the float is going up or down, then one of each of the sets of sprocket wheels on the upper shafts N and M must turn in the same direction whether' the float is going up or down; and that the wheels in each set alternate as to the direction in which they rotate.

In Fig. 5 I have shown in section one set of the lower sprocket wheels S1 S2 loosely mounted upon the shaft S. In Fig. 4 one set of the upper sprocket wheels N1 and N2 is mounted loosely upon the shaft N; one, N1, of these is shown in section which also shows in section a ratchet wheel (R) made fast to the shaft. The other sprocket wheel N2 is shown in elevation and is loose on the shaft N, and its accompanying ratchet R1 is made fast to the shaft N. The sprocket wheels N1 and N2 have pawls, one of which is shown at R2 (Fig. 4). Both pawls R2 and Its are shown in Figs. l and 3. These ratchets and pawls are so arranged that they cause the shafts N and M, to which the ratchets are made fast, to rotate in one direction only; that is, when the sprocket wheel is going in the wrong direction the pawl will not engage with the teeth of the ratchet but when the sprocket wheel is going in the right direction then its pawl will engage with the teeth of the ratchet and cause it and the shaft N to turn in the right direction. The rotation of the shafts N, M is communicated to the main power' shaft P and the wheel P1 by chain belts M4 M3 from the sprockets T1 T2 to the sprockets T3 T4.

If but one casing and its apparatus is used there will be times at high water and at low water when there would be no action. To obviate lthis defect I have more vthan one complete casing and Lits Aapparatus arranged in series so that yone or more of the series may be provided with controlling gates that are operated by -themechanism of some one of them in such a manner that no matter how the tide stands there will'be one casing that has water stored ready for use at low Y water; for action at high water'one Acasing Y nected to the shaft M are of the lsame kind as those kof the shaft N.

Claim. A tide float mill comprising a framework.;

a float constructed to rest upon the surface of tide water vand to rise and fall with it; shafts attached to said framework below low-water mark, corresponding shafts attached to said framework above high-water mark; sets of sprocket wheels attached to said shafts; chain belts operating with said sets of sprocket wheels, one member of each of the said chain belts attached to said float; rightand left-hand ratchet ywheels and pawlsin working connection with said sets Yof shafts and their sprocket wheels7 whereby URIAH S. JACKSON.

Witnesses:

FRANK G. PARKER, JOHN BUGKLER. 

